Chapter Text
Chapter 40: The world falls apart. Izuku Arc Part 1.
Detnerat HQ - Re-Destro’s office – Early Morning -
The big office was a shining example of both luxury and minimalist design, with Re-Destro’s giant desk sitting in the far back, with behind it a massive window giving everybody inside a breath-taking view of the entire city.
“Did you renovate the office again?” Shigaraki asked, scratching his neck almost nonstop now.
“Indeed. People have a view of what a CEO has to be, and I don’t mind playing along their silly fixations, if it keeps them away from my businesses. And I don’t mean how I manage my Company.” Re-destro answered, humming while looking outside.
“Whatever makes you happy.” Shigaraki answered, unconcerned.
“Hahaha! I know, I know. You are impatient to get your deserved revenge.” Rikiya said.
“You promised I would get a chance to kill that dog and Chef.”
“Of course! First the dog and Chef, then every Hero you always wanted dead,” He answered.
“And you are okay with that?” Shigaraki asked, with an eyebrow going way up.
“My dear Shigaraki, what is the greatest difference between me and your old boss All for One?” Re-Destro asked.
“You don’t need Kurogiri to wipe your ass and change your diaper three times a day?” Shigaraki answered, serious.
“I lived a way better life without knowing that detail. But no. You see, All for One was setting his little chessboard for the benefit of himself… I plan to make Society as a whole win!” Rikiya said.
“…”
Sigh! “See it this way: All for One was organizing everything just to make himself the perfect Final Boss of the game, no matter how badly he ruins the game itself. Me instead, I am trying to advance the Plot and make sure the DM (Society) stop screwing-up everybody’s game.”
“Ooh.”
“So you see! With me you will get to play your role as an actual Boss Fight, instead of being a background character in All for One’s Final Boss battle!” Re-Destro said, smiling, and mentally thanking his youngest intern for teaching him enough tabletop and videogame lingo to help the insane psychopath with disintegrating powers understand what to do.
“I guess All for One wanted him so detached from sanity to just obey and kill whoever he wanted. But honestly, how did they manage to control him? He is both insane and a moron…” Rikiya thought with tired annoyance.
“So when do we start? Are you going to tell me to wait forever like they made me do in that stupid pub?” Shigaraki asked.
“Oh, no! Contrary to All for One, I am actually good at planning and planting my men where I need them, to get the results I need. And thanks to you telling me what they were planning, I actually could accelerate my own project!”
“Uh-hu.”
“Don’t be like that, my dear Shigaraki. The big, explosive start of my plan will come far sooner than you think!” Re-destro said with a wide, malicious smile.
“I really hope so, old man.” Shigaraki answered.
“You’ll see, you’ll see. I know you will love it.”
Meanwhile – Green Cloud Restaurant -
Izuku was finishing his mid-morning short training routine, using a giant butcher knife that The System created to weight just as much as a truck to carve tiny radishes into life-like replicas of his head, when he heard the loud slap of Whitey sending a troublemaker fly out of the Restaurant.
“Dine and dash?” He asked aloud without looking away from the tiny radish he was working on.
“Nope! Quirkist supremacist harassing a student with ‘Ugly Mutation Quirk’. The poor girl was sobbing so I took the liberty to have Whitey evict the moron.” Himiko answered, peeking into the kitchen from the serving window.
“Good job. Is it that Ketsubotsu student with the Blobfish mutation?”
“Yes.”
“Little Sora… Here, bring her this. On the house, a small thing I hope will cheer her up.” Izuku nodded and took a small dish with a bright pink dessert.
“Cranberry mousse?” Himiko asked, smirking.
“Her favourite.” He confirmed, smiling.
“I’ll bring her that, Boss!” The waitress obediently grabbed the dish and moved to deliver it.
“Nobody bullies my Guests,” Izuku muttered.
Meanwhile – outside -
A man wearing a formal dress sans the tie was standing in front of the Restaurant entrance, looking at the sign with a wide, mischievous smile.
“You sure, Boss?” The cameraman asked once again.
“I am a professional, Izuchi-kun. I give the audience a show and offer a service to Restaurant Owners, I am not a mercenary that sells his integrity for the best offer.” The man answered.
“If you say so… Recording in three… two… one…” The cameraman answered, and counted backwards with a hand high in the air.
What people will later see was an opening clip-show where dirty, unorganized and downright horrendous kitchens and dishes flashed on the screen.
Wherever there is bad food!
A mound of meat looking like a dead animal scrapped from the street appears on screen.
Wherever there is service so bad it makes you question who the real Villains are!
A waiter throws a dish on the table with zero manners, actually making some of the soup splash the customer.
Wherever there are Restaurants so awful even cover-ups from the Yakuza look legit!
“Too much salt?! I’ll BEEEP!-ing Teach you what good food is, you son of a BEEEP!” A Chef is seen being physically restrained by a waiter to stop her from murdering a Customer with a meat clever.
I’ll be there to save the situation!
Because I am Kumori Kensai, and this…
IS NIGHTMARE KITCHENS!
The man smiled and after giving the few seconds pause that will then be switched with that opening, he addressed the camera directly.
“Welcome, fans of good food and fellow avengers of terrible cooking! Once again I hit the streets like a Culinary Vigilante to bring justice to the poor food manhandled by Chefs that have strayed from the right path!” Kensai said with a wide smile and overflowing energy.
“… Hehehehe!” He then gave a loud snort and winked at the camera.
“Or at least, normally this is what I do, as the older members of the audience know, but I decided to start this season with something different! To celebrate the beginning of the Sixth Season of Kitchen Nightmares… I’ll bring a different kind of justice!” Said that he gestured at the Restaurant Entrance.
“You know how I usually take you to Restaurant so beyond saving some of you think I am a masochist just because I dare enter their doors, let alone eating the slop they call food. But today… Today is special! Follow me!”
The cameraman obediently followed Kensai inside Green Cloud Restaurant, with the camera giving a wide round to show the pristine and immaculate inside, and stopping briefly on Eri that blushed, gave a tiny wave at the camera and then buried her face in Shiro’s fur to shyly hide from view.
“Oh! Kensai-san! Izuchi-san! Good morning!” Izuku appeared from the kitchen with a tray himself to help Himiko serve the tables.
“Surprise, Boss Izuku! You are on Kitchen Nightmares!” Tensai said…
The room’s temperature dropped to sub-zero when the Vigilantes and small-time Villains slowly got up from their seats to glare at him.
“It’s not what it looks like!” The cameraman immediately gave a shrilly scream and went on the defensive.
“Guys, sit down. No fighting in my Restaurant, please.” Izuku asked gently, and with a low chorus of petulant grumbling, the ones that got up returned to sit.
“In Hindsight, I should have explained.” Kensai said, laughing unfazed.
“I… Didn’t know I was that bad, Kensai-san.” Izuku admitted.
“Oh, no no no! It’s not one of my normal episode… Can we?” The man answered while pointing at the kitchen.
“From the window, sorry but for reasons of hygiene I can’t let you inside.” Izuku answered.
“Fair enough.” Kensai answered.
“As you can see… Spotless clean, a true marvel of cleanliness and order, for the ones of you at home with a delicate stomach, this must look like heaven compared to what I usually show you. It’s so clean that operating rooms at the hospital look like dumpsters in comparison.” The man said while the camera zoomed inside the kitchen to show how clean it was.
“Somebody sent you?” Himiko, far less amused than Izuku, asked aloud.
“Eh, unfortunately I was asked to keep the name of who alerted the show a secret, and I won’t break that confidentiality.” Kensai said while sitting at a table with the cameraman.
“Figures,” She scoffed in answer.
“It’s fine, Himiko.” Izuku said.
“No, it’s not!” She pouted and countered.
“As you can tell, here is more than just a Restaurant, we are quite literally visiting a friend… That will bring us the bill of what he cooked for us.” Kensai joked.
“In my defense, I do this with everybody that comes here.” Izuku answered.
“Good to know. What are the specialities of the day? I want to make sure that the audience at home can see what you have to offer. After all, I may have not come here to accuse you of being bad like the owner of the ‘Nobunaga’s Ambition’ Restaurant asked me to do, but I still promised the audience a special episode to start the new season, and I am not a liar.” Kensai said.
“Didn’t you just-”
“The desserts too, of course.” The man interrupted Izuku, smirking.
“Riiight… I’ll prepare everything.” The young Chef answered, walking away while shaking his head.
“… What?” Kensai said while looking at the camera.
“I didn’t say the guy’s name! I kept my promise!” He said, and the camera too lightly shook left and right in a defeated way.
Slam!
With a thundering noise, the door was kicked open.
SMASH!
With an even louder bang, the door slammed back on the nose of the guy that kicked it.
“System!” Izuku groaned in disbelief.
“Not us.” The Entity answered.
“Sorry, force of habit.”
“That was me. The sound startled poor Eri.” Shiro answered telepathically.
“SHIRO!” Izuku mentally yelled.
“… Is he alive?” One of the guests asked, leaning forward to see the Indian guy sprawled on the floor.
“Baap re baap...That hurts…” The guy muttered to himself while getting up.
“Are you okay?” Izuku asked, worried.
“Yes, as soon as stars stop dancing in front of my eyes, I’ll be.” The Indian guy in pristine and expensive Chef attire answered, stumbling his way inside.
“Here, you were rude, but the door punished you enough.” Himiko said, offering him some water.
“Dhanyawad (Thank you)…”
“Why you tried to kick down the door?”
“For that, I must apologize. I fear anger got the better of me. Still, it’s a matter of Indian pride.”
“Eh?”
“I am Chef Vikram Kulkarni, personal Chef of the Indian Prime Minister. I was here with the Minister of External Affairs to meet the Japanese Prime Minister.” Vikram said.
“Ookay?” Izuku drawled on, unsure.
“I was presenting to the Prime Minister of Japan and the Minister of External Affairs the best food the millenary Indian cooking Tradition can produce, but one of the bodyguards dared say that this… Place… Makes a Rogan Josh better than mine! A Curry better than mine! My family has cooked for the greatest dignitaries and royalty for generations, I can’t let this slide unless I personally try this miraculous food! So bring out the Chef, so I can formally challenge them!”
“… That’s me.” Izuku answered.
“Arey Ram (Oh Lord Ram)… You? You?! Kya Baat hai! (What’s going on?!)” Vikram exclaimed, face-palming in disbelief.
“He doesn’t believe you?” Himiko said, rolling her eyes.
“You speak Indian?” Izuku asked.
“No. I speak ‘I can’t believe somebody younger than me is supposed to be this good’-ese.” She answered.
“Hilarious,” Izuku commented, deadpan.
“Look at the knives, bud. Every name on it is a Chef that my Boss defeated, they came and left a knife whenever he kicked their ass. Icchan hadn’t be defeated once.”
“Eh?” The guy finally gave a look insane the cabinet on the wall.
“Hidetaka… Kurogawa… Li Ming and Li Hong… Delacroix… Salvatore and Lucio Marinetti… Xiang-Li Hun… Jose Armando Alcantara… Arrey Baap re! (Oh, father!) I know those people!” Vikram said, surprised.
“In my defense, in most of those cases they came to me for challenges, I just defend myself, I am not really that much of a bully.” Izuku said.
“Yes, I can see this. Still I already made a scene in the embassy, so this challenge has to happen,” Vikram said, humming.
“You sure?”
“I need to see this, or I will spend months thinking about this non-stop, and I don’t need that tiny voice in the back of my head wondering if you are actually that good while I work… My job is already stressful as it is.” The man admitted.
“Fair enough… So. Now?” Izuku asked.
“Ah, no no! I am here to deliver the challenge… Is tomorrow okay?”
“Should be, sure.” He answered, shrugging.
“Thank you, the Prime Minister will send a car,”
“… Really?”
“They found this amusing, as a sort of friendly competition. Clean-up, we’ll do this at the Embassy,” Vikram said.
“Of course, thank you for warning me.
“Good. See you tomorrow, young man.” Vikram said, giving a last goodbye and leaving.
Sigh! “Those knives were supposed to scare challengers off.” Himiko said, rubbing her temples.
“Yeah…” Izuku answered with a groan.
Then he felt somebody grab his pants tightly.
“Uh?”
“PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE! Bring me along! I want to film the challenge!” Kensai was kneeling on the floor and grabbing Izuku’s uniform while flashing the most pathetic eyes he could.
“Please! In the Embassy! We will even go with our own car!” The Cameraman begged as well.
“It’s not up to me.” Izuku tried saying.
“It would be a stellar moment for my career! Try asking! Pleeeeeeease!”
“Augh…” Izuku groaned louder in answer, and to think his week started so peacefully he dared to think thing had finally calmed down.
The next day -
The limousine with the insignia of the Indian Embassy was rapidly cutting through the traffic while flanked by two members of the police force on bikes and closely followed by Whitey, and had somebody with keen eye looked up, several tiny drones summoned by 808 and BoB were following the car, something that put under alarm the guys from I-Island.
“Do we know who sent those drones?” One operator asked to the base.
“Negative… I never saw encryption like this… This stuff is far too advanced.”
“Aliens?” The Operator asked, chuckling.
“Don’t joke, this-”
“Please desist. Any further probing will be considered an Attack, and there will be consequences.” The AI of the Bio-Obliterating Ballista declared once hacked the entire system of I-Island just to deliver the warning.
“… That ‘System Incorporated’ scares the shit out of me, Eagle 1.” The tech guy in I-Island said.
“Yeah. Me too.” The Operator answered, closing the call and just following the limo thanks to the drone he was piloting from the back of a nondescript van.
Meanwhile, the limousine silently arrived at destination, circling the main building to let Izuku enter from a side door, once properly frisked and searched by far too many security checkpoints.
“I swear, if I see a rubber glove…” He muttered.
“We have no reason to go that far, young man. At ease.” The guy checking every food item Izuku took along answered.
“All safe?” He asked to various experts.
“Safe? Yes… But where in the name of Ram did you find Ingredients of this quality?” The Leader of the Experts that checked to make sure nothing had been compromised, or poisoned, asked in disbelief.
“My Sponsor has a good reach and very good providers.” Izuku answered.
“Yes, I can see that. Go ahead you can go.”
“Please follow me… Even if we don’t like the fact that X-ray can’t see through that robot.” The guard said.
“UA vouched for me about Whitey, even if they too failed to study him.” Izuku answered while following the guy through the various service corridors.
“Knowing Power Loader, that must be eating him inside.”
“Not really, Mister Loader was a very good sport about it.”
UA – Support Course Labs -
“Waaah! Why can’t I understand how that damn robot works! Waaaaah!” Power Loader cried, not being a good sport about it at all.
“It’s unfair! Unfair! Unfair! I wanna know how it works! Waaaaah!”
Indian Embassy – meeting room -
When Izuku finally arrived, he was the two cooking stations fully stocked and ready to be used, assembled right in the middle of the room; dignitaries, The Japanese and Indian Prime Minister, the Ministers of external affairs were sitting at the table in a far corner, behind reinforced glass and surrounded by guards while many reporters and cameramen were at the opposite side, clamouring to get the best angle to film everything.
“Nervous?” One of the waiters that will bring the food to the table asked.
“Not really, I had an eventful month already, this is a drop in the ocean by now…” Izuku answered, sighing in defeat.
“Damn, I don’t envy you.” The guy answered.
“Welcome, as you were told, as a friendly show of culture exchange both of you will prepare three dishes of Indian and Japanese traditional cuisine; Two Indian and one Japanese dish for Midoriya-san, and Two Japanese and One Indian Dish for Vikram-san. Whatever ‘Victory’ so to speak is meaningless, but just a friendly excuse to share a meal together. Understood?” The secretary of the Japanese Prime Minister said.
“Yes.” Both Izuku and Vikram answered, smiling.
“Very well. You will be free to start as soon as the staff will bring you the crate of Ingredients you personally prepared for this, no tampering occurred.” On the notes of the applause of everybody present, the two crates went delivered and the Challenge started.
Izuku took a deep breath and summoned the Sea Dragon kitchen knife and the Zaus Knife from the rope tattoo on his wrist, the Dragon Knife turned its blade into a thin and wide squared blade with a flick while the Zaus Knife blade elongated slightly, and with a knife in each hand, Izuku started chopping herbs finely.
“So, my old friend, not that I mind having some good food… But this challenge feels a bit… Too much?” The Japanese Prime Minister asked, curious.
“Vikram is a great Chef, but a bit impulsive. He is the current holder of the title of Enlightened Spice, a small moniker the firstborn of his family get if they defeat their father or mother in a cooking duel, as a rite of passage to adulthood, and apparently it goes back of almost a thousand years and should technically mean that he has the qualifications to defend the honor of the family in the kitchen. So when he heard someone that young be labelled as better than him at cooking Indian food, he overreacted.”
“Oh.”
“If I didn’t do this, he would have spent months whining non-stop about this supposed disrespect and probably pestered me about all being just rumours just to save face with me, as if I would kick him out of my staff just for that after years of loyal service. He and his family take great pride in their family’s cooking skills… Maybe a bit too much pride.” The Indian PM answered, shaking his head.
“I see. So? What is this challenge about?”
“They both will prepare some Galouti Kebab, even if I told him to make it simple.”
“I think I heard that name before...”
“The history of Galouti kebab, also known as Gilawat, is quite interesting. It was supposedly created keeping the special needs and desires of an ageing Nawab, called Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow.
The Nawab had lost all his teeth, but his passion for meat remained intact, so, this melt in the mouth kebab was prepared in his royal kitchens to satisfy the Nawab’s love for meat; the original recipe was created by Haji Murad Ali, and is supposed to be a well-kept top secret thing, infamous for the use of some 160 spices and flavorings to prepare it.” The Indian PM explained.
“160 spices!? That’s very far from simple!” The Japanese PM said, amused.
“That’s what I said too! But Vikram is more stubborn than a damn mountain goat and insisted they both made the Kebab, so even I had to relent. The secret recipe has 160 spices according to the legend, a family secret that is passed down to the generations by the ladies of the house… But between me and you… I never believed to that part of the story. I don’t even know if there are all those spices on the entire planet!” The Indian PM answered, laughing.
“True, you would need to really stretch the meaning of ‘Spice’ to fit more in it, but you have to admit that it makes the dish sound so mysterious! How do you use all that without making it inedible?”
“All quite true, my friend!” The other answered, sharing a chuckle between them.
(I really don’t know how politicians act with each other. I am sorry, don’t mean to offend.)
Cooking Challenge – Izuku’s side -
Izuku looked at the wide spread of Ingredients that he prepared for the Challenge, every single one picked by the staff to assure fairness.
“Basmati Rice, a good quality too. Good! For once I don’t have to fear sabotage.” He muttered while studying the Long grains of rice inside one of the bowls, and checking for any blemishes that could ruin the taste.
“The chicken too seems good, fat, skin and meat don’t look tempered with…”
“I assure you no cheating occurred!” Vikram said, proudly.
“Contrary to those fools that challenged you, I won’t forget my honor and use cheap tricks!”
“Sorry if I checked, but I have some bad memories of previous challenges… Although, the spices...”
“What about them? They are extremely fresh! The shahi jeera, the bay leaves, star anise, cloves, and green cardamom pods…. All are the very best that can be found!” The man answered.
“Oh, no no. I can tell they will infuse the rice with rich flavor. I can see the good quality!” Izuku answered.
“Then what is the problem? Something missing? Because in that case we can pospone until it’s fixed!” Vikram said.
“It’s fine, don't worry, I’ll add the missing spices by myself,” Izuku answered, smiling.
“Other spices?”
“Others! Besides the turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder and Biryani Masala. Don’t worry about it.”
“… Okay.”
Returning to work, Izuku grabbed a few big yellow onions and thinly sliced them, then he used some ghee to caramelize them and create “Birista/Birira onions”, an important component for the marinade as well as for topping.
(Ghee is clarified butter made by separating butterfat from the milk solids and water in butter, it has a slightly nutty, almost caramel-like flavor, It has a lighter but grainier mouthfeel than butter)
“What a rich golden color! They are perfect, they will add a nice sweet, caramelized flavor to complement all the spices.” Izuku muttered, pleased by the onions’ final look.
“The Marinading is coming along very well…” The young Chef muttered, he had put in a bowl a marinade made by mixing yogurt, ginger, garlic, turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, salt, the mint leaves, cilantro and lemon juice.
“It has rested in the fridge for about 24 hours… Thank god they left me do this before the challenge started. Doing this without proper time would have ruined the final result.”
“Now to Parboil the rice…” Once the water in the pot started heating-up, Izuku added cumin seeds, bay leaves, star anise, cardamom, cloves, and salt and brought the to a boil on high heat.
He poured in the soaked and drained rice and brought everything to a full boil on high heat, then he lowered the heat and cooked uncovered until the rice was about 90% cooked.
“Very fragrant! Nice! It’s not the Pearl Rice I use in my Restaurant, but the dish will still come out good!” He muttered while draining the rice and putting it aside.
With Vikram -
“Ahy. The boy is indeed good. Surprising for a Japanese boy, Japanese cooking is all about delicate balance of soft tastes, and yet there he is juggling the intense spices of Indian cuisine. Very intriguing! This challenge will be more intense than I thought! Very well!” Vikram muttered, smiling impressed.
He kept checking how Izuku cooked with very critical eyes, especially how he kept sauteeing his marinated chicken in a pot with the remaining ghee, and judging the way the young man cooked as respectful to the Indian’s recipe.
With Izuku – some time later -
“Ready for the last step!” Once satisfied with the chicken’s sauteeing, he gently layered the partially cooked rice over the chicken in a pot, then topped it with caramelized onions and saffron-infused milk, and finally sealed the pot with aluminum foil.
He further covered the pot with a lid and left it to cook on low heat.
“You done?” Vikram asked, in the meantime he was giving the finishing touches to the Japanese Dish he was making.
“Almost! I will allow the biryani to sit uncovered for 5 minutes before serving it,” Izuku answered, smiling, and gently fluffing the rice using a fork to help the delicate rice grains to firm up a bit and preventing them from breaking.
“Very good! Not many follow that step!” Vikram answered, pleased.
“Contestants! If both your Dishes are ready, please plate them, they will be taste tested by security and then brought to the judges!” The PM Secretary reminded everybody.
“We are ready!” Both Chefs answered,
Izuku served his Biryani still hot and with lemon wedges and a cooling raita, it was a mesmerizing spread of aromatic long-grain rice perfectly layered over succulent chicken marinated in a blend of earthy, aromatic spices, garnished with caramelized onions and delicate strands of saffron and lemon wedges.
(Raita is a traditional Indian yogurt-based condiment or side dish, commonly served chilled to cool the palate when eating spicy foods. It is typically made with plain yogurt, fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices, and is a staple accompaniment to Indian meals like biryani, pulao, and kebabs)
The plates went delivered to the taste testers that thanks to their peculiar Quirks could tell if anything harmful, not just poisonous, was used.
“Everything is safe, Sir. Please enjoy your food with no worries.” The head tasters confirmed the safety of the food and delivered it to the two Judges.
And both PMs couldn’t help but notice the very short, but noticeable, delay in letting go of the plates when they delivered them Izuku’s dishes.
“… You know? It may be extremely spicy, but I did develop a taste for Indian cooking, the burning feeling on the tongue really grows on you,”
“I must be honest, I instead am starting to understand the Japanese way, delicate tastes do soothe the spirit too,” The Indian PM answered.
“What I don’t understand is how a boy so young, and Japanese, can cook Indian food like an Indian Chef… No offense,”
“It’s fine, don’t worry. I checked and the boy seems to be rather famous, alarmingly so, so I am not surprised. But still, seeing what the youngsters would call The Hype be so deserved, it’s a pleasing surprise.” The Japanese PM answered.
“Indeed! But Arey Ram, this chicken really melts in the mouth! And the spices! Far too well done! I had Biryani before, but rice this fragrant and meat this good… Never before. I am honestly impressed.” The Indian PM admitted between mouthfuls.
“All very true. But credit where credit is due, Vikram really has become good at making Japanese dishes, every time we meet, he shows he has improved.” The Japanese PM answered.
“Hahaha! I will let him know! But now we need to taste the actual core of the challenge,”
“Aah! The Galouti Kebab! Yes, I am very curious about that too, I wonder who will make it best,”
With Izuku -
“Time for the main event! I’ll show them the real Magic of Spices!” Izuku said, smiling happily.
He had started by grinding together bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon, dried green chilly, grated nutmeg, mace, pepper corns, poppy seeds, cloves, cardamom seeds, garlic, ginger, chilly powder, raw papaya with the skin, and ran everything into a smooth and fine paste.
“Good start!… Now the other spices!” Then he had shocked the others by having Whitey open a crate to show the many small containers of powdered spices and started adding them one after another.
10… 20… 30… 40…
More and more until whoever managed to keep count, the total spices used reached the absurd number of 160 different spices.
“Is he actually doing it?!” Many whispered in shock, Vikram comprised.
“So many spices, it reminds me of the Challenges I used to have with Damala Sky, always fun!” Izuku muttered while adding coriander leaves and eggs into the paste and mixing everything into an unblemished mixture.
Finally the Mutton meat was passed through the grinder and ground into a smooth paste, some salt was added to the mix along masala paste and a spoonful of roasted gram flour, and everything, meat and spices mixture, was then mixed evenly together to form several patties.
“Everything is ready, time to heat the ghee butter…” Izuku muttered, heating the Indian-style clarified butter in a heavy-based frying pan until it sizzled.
Fizz!
When he started frying the kebabs, and explosion of scent filled the room almost instantly, filling the lungs of the people in the room to burst, and making many stomachs whine in need.
“ARREY BAAP RE! How in the name of Heaven did you do that!?” Vikram yeleld with bulged-out eyes.
“Hn?” Izuku uttered, confused, and rapidly turning the kebabs to make sure both sides would brown equally.
“You used far too many spices! The smell should be terrible! Like tear gas used to sedate revolts, not heavenly like this!”
“Oh! An old acquaintance of mine helped me learn to balance spices,” He answered.
“Balance is one thing, a miracle is another!”
“Yours smell nice too! Don’t sell yourself short!” Izuku said, smiling.
“I can barely smell mine, even by smashing my head into the frying pan! A Japanese boy shouldn’t play around with spices!”
“I don’t play around, I know what I am doing…” Izuku muttered, dejected.
“Vikram, be nice. This is a friendly showdown, not a competition,” The Indian PM said.
“But… Sir!” A petulant whine escaped the man’s mouth before he could stop it.à
“It’s fine! I won’t think any less of you, not after all your years of service.”
“… Are you already declaring him the victor?!”
“… Focus on the Kebabs, Vikram…” The PM answered, now very enthusiastically studying every detail of the ceiling’s paint.
Time later -
When the kebabs were finally ready, Izuku separated them into various plates and garnished each portion with lemon juice, onion rings and a bunch of fresh mint.
“If your Galouti Kebabs are ready to be served, please step away from the workstations and let the staff deliver the dishes!”
With a loud applause, the two Chefs stepped away and watched the last dishes be taste tested and then delivered to the two PMs and their staff.
Izuku didn’t mind to see the journalists focus on Vikram only for their questions and pictures, in both his lives he never was at ease with cameras shoved on his face or getting pressed with questions, unless strictly necessary.
The judges kept eating, savouring each bite and humming in satisfaction whenever the spices covered their mouth and made their skin tingle pleasantly, or when the juicy meats melted on their tongue in a sea of tasty juices.
“The Challenge is over, and as we said, there are no Winners or Losers today, this is just a celebration to both Japanese and Indian history of cooking, and thanks to these two astounding talents, today we really tasted the pure flavour of our Cultures, so unique and yet so wonderfully welcoming to whoever wants to broaden their horizons. Thank you, Chef Midoriya and Chef Kulkarni.” The Minister of External Affairs said, giving both a short applause the rest of the room soon joined in.
“Ahy… They turned my Challenge into a political piece,” Vikram muttered, sighing.
“It’s fine, they needed something to have a speech about and get pictures for, let them have the spotlight if they need it.” Izuku answered.
“I still want to know who was the best one at making Galouti Kebab.” The man answered.
“Does it really matter?” Izuku asked, curious.
“To me it does,”
“Should we try asking then?”
“… It may be a bit against etiquette… But… maybe?” Vikram answered, unsure.
“Then let’s go ask,” Izuku answered, smiling.
Following the older man, the young man neared the table with the two Prime Ministers and the rest of their staff, all under the unblinking eyes of their security detail that seemed ready to fan them in bullets and THEN ask what they were doing.
“Ehm… Sir?” Vikram asked.
“…” It was only thanks to Izuku’s own skills if he saw the Indian PM’s mouth briefly crease in a barely-contained smile that lasted an instant.
“Yes, Vikram?” The man asked, leaning slightly forward.
“I was wondering…”
“You want to know who actually won?” The other asked, now regaling Vikram with a truly tiny smile.
“Yes, sir. This started as me trying to defend my pride as Chef before it turned into This… Please?”
Both Politicians looked at each other in the eyes.
“May as well,” The Japanese PM answered.
The Indian Prime Minister looked at both Chefs and cleared his throat.
“Due to my role I have to maintain some decorum, as a representative of Indian People in Japan, but I assure you that had I eaten this food when I was just a kid, my mother would have skinned me alive for eating other people’s portions too.” He said, with a very controlled and polite tone.
“Indeed. Honestly, 160 spices in a single dish is supposed to be madness, a blend that can’t feasibly work. And yet we tasted a marvel of cooking. Something that on paper could not work, and yet a young man’s skills made the Impossible into Delicious.” The Japanese Prime Minister added, smiling.
“Thank you, Sir.” Izuku answered, bowing.
“Better than mine?” Vikram asked, sighing.
“Yours is a delicious kebab, one that will always be the highlight of my lunches or dinners, Vikram. But this time, I have to give victory to somebody else.”
“Am I fired?”
“Oh, absolutely not! To me you remain the absolute best Chef in all of India. That did not change.” The PM answered.
“Oh, sir!”
“I say our dear Vikram can take a loss for once, then.” The Japanese PM said.
“It can happens once every ten or so years, sir. Yes.” Vikram answered, drying his moist eyes.
“Oh, very modest, Vikram!” The Indian PM answered, impressed, and making the Chef chuckle.
“Sorry, sir.”
“Congratulations, Young Midoriya. You helped Japan, and me, keep our pride safe.” The Japanes PM said.
“Thank you, sir.” Izuku answered.
“Oh, yes. This time you won… I am still the best on the golf course,” The Indian PM answered.
“Oh! I won’t be so sure. In two months we will have that small game in India to collect funds… I would watch my back if I were you.”
“Bold words, old friend.”
“… I think you can go, contrary to me, you don’t have to listen to them try to one up each other with the excuse of politics…” Vikram whispered.
“Ah. Thank you, Vikram-san.”
“This time you won… But I’ll be back, to win back my knife!” Vikram promised, shaking izuku’s hand.
“I’ll wait for you.” Izuku answered, then he collected Vikram’s knife with the man’s name on it and left.
“AH! I forgot to ask him to join my staff!” The Japanese Prime Minister said once noticed Izuku’s absence.
“Whoops! I gave him permission to leave before you could ask… Sorry.” The Indian Prime Minister answered, with a very formal smile that begged to be a full smirk.
“Oh, you...”
With Izuku -
“Congratulations to Host for winning the Indian theme cooking challenge. With this Host unlocked a new piece of God of Cooking Equipment: The Lightning Tiger Vest. A chef uniform that doubles as armor and soothes muscles after training and work thanks to its lightning powers, it will help Host move and work faster by stimulating the muscles as well. Does Host want the System to make it look like his old Chef Uniform as Zaus?” The System declared.
“…” Izuku’s steps faltered a bit in surprise.
“You can do it?”
“Yes, Host.”
“Yes, please. It’s… It would be very nice.” Izuku muttered.
“Very well. Host will find it ready to be worn in his room above the Restaurant.” The Entity answered.
“Thank you.” He answered, grateful.
With a small smile full of memories of long ago, Izuku walked back towards his Restaurant with Whitey in tow following silently behind him.
Meanwhile – secret lab – Underground -
The dark, damp lab was almost completely shrouded in shadows, with only two men sitting in front of a huge collection of screens covering a wall in its entirety; All for One on a wheelchair version of his life-preserving chair, while Garaki simply sat on a small office chair.
“…” A long, drawn-out hum echoed in the room while AfO looked at the screens with the camera acting as his eyes.
“So it’s official. Re-Destro got Shigaraki to work for them. Somehow, since his mental state is basically a collection of every mental issues known to mankind.” Garaki declared once double-checked the results on the screen.
“I wish! I regret not going through your initial plan and drug him into a drooling vegetable when he turned 18! you were right: We only needed his body, the personality and free will were just dead weight!” AfO answered with an annoyed growl.
“To be fair, trying to give him a fractured personality that aligned with our needs was a good idea, on paper. Weak enough to be easily overtaken, and already meeting your own ideals so to make it easier and avoid annoyances like sense of justice or compassion… Too bad the kid was too fragile mentally.” Garaki answered.
“And now he is out there following the plans of another Villain with a hard-on for Anarchy that thinks he’s saving people…” All for One said, face-palming.
“And by the report of our spies, they will very soon start their own plan to destroy Society and reshape it.”
“…”
“…”
A thick and long silence filled the lab, interrupted only by the random whirling of the computers or the rumbling bubbles of the giant tubes containing half-finished Nomus.
“… You do realize this leaves us with only Plan B?” All for One muttered.
“I hoped to avoid that. It IS ready and operational, technically, and fully compatible and ready for deployment… But… Do we have to? The price to pay-”
“We are far beyond worrying about those details.” All for One answered with a heavy tone.
“Unfortunately I can’t deny that,” Garaki answered, sighing and dropping his shoulders.
“Indeed… Get it ready.”
“Yes, Sensei.”
Every light turned red at the push of a single button, and a thundering, terrifying roar shook the entire lab before a loud thump silenced it.
That night – Green Cloud Restaurant -
Izuku was talking at the phone with Momo while organizing what he will take with himself for a sudden Mission in another world the System had been particular insistent about, and for the first time in a while, a Sortie he was supposed to undergo by himself, without any of his girls.
“So this time you have to go Solo?” Momo asked.
“So it seems, The System insisted that this time I can’t take any of you with me,” He answered.
“Mmmmh.” Even through the phone’s speakers, Izuku could hear Momo’s frown of disapproval.
“That Thing is planning something.” She said.
“I thought so too. And it has to be something particularly egregious, if They pushed so hard for me to go Solo.” Izuku answered.
“Be careful, don’t take risks and if it is necessary, let Shiro and Whitey deal with whatever comes your way,” Momo begged him with a small voice.
“I am a Chef, Momo. We take risks all the time, but we always have a way out,” Izuku answered with a reassuring job.
“That’s a Hero, not a Chef, Izu.”
“Eh! Poison Potato – Poison Potatoh.” He answered, chuckling.
“I am really going to marry a fool,” Momo said, chuckling.
“You can still run away!” Izuku answered, cheeky.
“Never. You are not going to get rid of me.”
“Good. Same for me, I am going nowhere.”
“Just go, speedrun whatever idiocy System-san is shoving on you and get back to us. You know how Ansty Rumi and Nejire get when you go on Sorties without them.” Momo said.
“I’ll do this quick, don’t worry.”
“I trust you. Bye, I love you.”
“Love you too, Momo.” Izuku answered, smiling and closing the call.
“Everything is ready, Host.” The System declared as rune of pure light started revolving around Izuku.
“I am ready too. Hey, will I meet myself in that different version of this world you are sending me to?” Izuku asked.
“Yes. That too is part of the Mission.” The Entity answered.
“Hn! I wonder what kind of Chef that different Me is…” Izuku muttered, and he was so deep in theories that he barely felt his body dissolve into light to start Dimension Hopping like he did many times before.
“Host has safely reached destination.” The System declared.
BOOOM!
“Eh! So it begins.” Blackie said with a deep chuckle when the first far-away explosion rattled the windows of the building around the Restaurant.
“Way to ruin this Lord Dog’s evening nap. Mortals here have no shame.” The Lord Dog just leisurely entered the Restaurant to go sleep under one of the Calming Trees in the far back.
As soon as Izuku left, every Restaurant he owned got sealed shut, and the Staff told to prepare for battle by the System itself just a second before the first explosion happened.
“I don’t know what this Warning means, but I can smell the bullshit thanks to my time as a Villain… Better safe than sorry.” Himiko said, eyes narrowed.
She took the two giant meat cleavers The System made her find on top of a table, and once moved a chair in front of the locked door, she sat down and glared outside.
“What is happening?” Eri asked, scared.
“Everything is okay, sweetie. Grandma is here.” Inko answered, holding the kid tightly against her chest.
“Meeew!” Zephyr as well grabbed a big knife with a long serrated blade that made it look more similar to a sword, one the small cat normally used to cut giant Ingredients in two whenever he helped Izuku preparing Ingredients.
“An Interdimensional Entity gave the alarm… Something big is coming.” Hisashi said while preparing a gun and breathing out small bursts of fire as a warming exercise.
“Honey.” Inko muttered.
“I hope I still remember what they taught me in UA before I went to study and work on I-Island…” The man answered, tense.
Green Gourmet Garden – At the same time -
BOOM!
At the Warning of the System, and then the first explosion, Adelia was already weaving spells like mad, soon covering the entire skyscraper into a web of different colors, with each rune interlocking into a mesmerizing rainbow of light to form a thick net.
“I overlapped every defensive spell I know. Maha’lagara may be protecting this Restaurant only, but I won’t let the rest of the building get attacked!” The Witch declared, using one of the many names of The System.
“Good to know I am not the only one thinking about the others!” Goro answered, easing his tie and rolling up his sleeves, and with a growl, his muscles grew exponentially.
“Te-ha-many’katu… May my Ancestors watch over me for this upcoming battle.” The Lizardman sent a low prayer to the sky.
“Sui will eat intruders!” The tiny slime declared with a childish voice while its body turned into a deadly-looking purple color.
“Are we going to die?” The Meat King asked.
“We are not! This Restaurant won’t fall no matter what happens!” Mako answered.
“Well said, young Lady!” Gentle Criminal answered, already empowered by La Brava’s Quirk.
“You hide in the kitchen, should the worse happen, we will take care of whatever forces their way through the doors!” La Brava added, eyes full of determination.
“Staff of Green Gourmet Garden! To Arms!” Adelia ordered, with her magical staff shining in immense power.
“Yes!” The others answered.
Green Valley Izakaya – Same Time -
Nagant was already scouting the streets with her sniper riffle from the flat above the Restaurant, eye barely blinking to not miss a thing.
“Are you sure we can trust the kid’s Sponsor on this?” Hawks’ voice came crystal clear from the small communicator inside her ear.
“Whoever they are, they have such a good spy network I-Island is taking notes and the HPSC gets red in envy. I think we can trust them to know what they are doing. You just keep patrolling the skies, the Restaurant is apparently a fortress, but I won’t hole up and let others suffers.”
“Yeah, me neither. But they sounded sure things are about to go pear-shaped, are we sure it was not just parano-”
BOOM!
The second loud and extremely powerful explosion was heard from everywhere in the city, so strong the ground briefly shook heavily too.
“Here comes your answer!” Nagant answered as even more explosions happened one after another in a long chain.
“Shit! I see a lot of people flooding the streets, and none of them look friendly, they look angry!” Hawks reported with a tense tone.
“That means that we are starting now! Get ready!” She answered between gritted teeth.
Orbit of Earth -
“Multiple threats detected! Releasing combat drones! Defensive perimeter erected! All systems online! Orbital cannons online! Targeting Grid ready!” The Bio-Obliterating Ballista kicked in full throttle and unleashed a small army of drones the size of soccer balls that moved through tiny portals to go defend the various Restaurants and the houses of Inko, the Restaurant Staff families and even UA Gates.
“All threats to my friend Izuku will be TERMINATED!” The Supreme AI, and 808, declared in unison with almost holy fervour.
Musutafu – Detnerat HQ Rooftop -
Re-Destro watched pleased as more explosions happened to demolish Police Force Stations, Pro Hero Offices and small holding facilities with the intent to destabilize the entire city while every single prisoner of Tartarus and other similar prisons flooded the streets thanks to the warp Quirk of one of his associates.
“When the temples of False Idols fall and Lies burn, truth walks naked among the ruins! Man does not crave order, he craves power! He craves LIBERATION!” Re-Destro declared loudly while watching the many columns of dark smoke and fire dot the city, with the screams of terror of the masses almost reaching him up there.
He was talking with a fervour far too close to that of a religious zealots quoting his sacred scriptures, like a twisted Messiah.
“All very boring. You done gloating? Can we go now?” Shigaraki asked, completely uninterested.
“Hahahaha! Sorry, sorry, my boy! I got carried away! But you were right! Teleportation makes everything easier!” Rikiya said with a giant smile.
“Good job finding another guy with a warp Quirk.” Shigaraki answered.
“It’s not exactly a Warp Quirk per se like Kurogiri’s, the girl I found can just teleport everything she touches to a specific location she remembers well enough, landing without dying then is only on the Target. It’s risky, but that is why I bought a gym and filled it in mattresses, to soft the landing of our little soldiers of Anarchy.” He explained.
“Whatever. Can we go now?” Shigaraki answered, uninterested.
“Of course! I say the stage is finally ready for the two of us to join!” Re-Destro said.
“Good, let’s go, I have stuff to do.”
“Yes! It’s time we join our brothers and sisters in the revolution! Let there be Light, Let there be LIBERATION!” Rikiya declared with a thundering laugh.
The city was rapidly falling into anarchy and chaos, as if a switch had been flipped that made citizen give in to their most wild and destructive tendencies, forcing Heroes, Pro, freshly-minted or even just students, to immediately go on the defensive, with Nezu near-instantaneously turning UA into a fortress against the horde of psychos everybody had seemingly turned into.
Meanwhile – with Izuku – Other World -
Contrary to what was happening in his home reality, Izuku was moving through the streets of what he recognized being a different version of his own Musutafu, although that too had been rapidly turning into a powder keg ready to go off ever since before he arrived.
But that was not Izuku’s immediate problem.
His immediate problem was seeing his own different dimension version in a green Hero costume that had seen better days and with dark rings under his eyes.
“Eh?” Hero Student and Chef looked at each other and uttered that single sound full of surprise.
Izuku (the Chef) knew this particular Solo Sortie was going to be just a single, uninterrupted headache, even more than the previous ones.
“TOGA!” Hero Izuku yelled while jumping him.
“I hate this Sortie…” Chef Izuku muttered in defeat.
Being a Chef was not supposed to be so annoying...
Omake
Interdimensional Ingredient Hunt:
THE DEATH SANDWICH OF DEATH AND THE WINGS OF ULTRA DEATH!
Streets -
The Portal Opened in a normal sub-urban area, one of those with houses all looking the same and with well-maintained picked fences.
“Okay, this looks like a very normal place.” Izuku said.
“Good to know… But where do we find a recipe that sounds like very deadly?” Nejire, his current companion, asked.
“Good question… Should we ask around?”
In that moment a car sped past them.
“HURRY! TO THE MOUNTAIN OF DEATH! WE WILL ASK TO THE GRAND MASTER OF DEATH KWON DO TO HELP US TO SAVE BENSON FROM THE SANDWICH OF DEATH!” The driver, a guy with wild mullet, was heard yelling from outside.
“… That sounds like a good place to start looking.” Nejire admitted, humming.
“I mean… The recipe does have Of Death in the name…” Izuku answered, shrugging.
Later - Death Kwon Do Dojo – Grand Master’s Room -
The air was thick with tension in the innermost area of the temple, a white expanse of space above the clouds; Mordecai and Rigby stood frozen as the Old Master loomed before them, with his gnarled hands gripping the infamous Death Sandwich, a sandwich oozing an eerie, malevolent energy, as if its ingredients were cursed and swirling with dark power.
“This is the end for you all!” The Grand Master of Death Kwon Do sneered, his voice a low growl.
“No one has ever survived the Double Death Sandwich once it touches their tongue.” He said, holding the death Sandwich above his head.
“Sensei, please! Be reasonable! Give us the Sandwich of life to save Benson!” Sensai begged once more.
“Ooouggh!” Benson groaned, every second weaker.
“Fools! Your fate is sealed between the bread slices of death!” The Grand Master answered.
“Dude... This is so not how I wanted to go.” Mordecai admitted with a gulp.
“I don’t care what kind of cursed hoagie that is, I’m not going down without a fight!” Rigby answered, almost desperate.
The Grand Master grinned wickedly and hurled the Death Sandwich straight at them.
“Die, you fools! Hahahahahaha!” Time seemed to slow as the sandwich spiralled through the air, pulsing with dark energy as it flew towards them like a comet.
Only for a completely unsuspecting Izuku Midoriya to walk into the room at that exact moment.
“Excuse me, do you guys know where I can-” He tried asking.
The Death Sandwich smacked against Izuku’s chest, but something impossible happened.
The cursed aura of the Death Sandwich flickered, twisted…. And then completely vanished; the bread crumbled into dust, the sinister meats and sauces dissolved into nothing, and finally the entire sandwich simply ceased to exist.
“… Did that guy throw you a sandwich?” Nejire asked, confused.
“Yes. Very rude, I don’t know why it disintegrated before touching me, though.” He answered, unsure.
The rest of the room had gone dead silent instead.
“Impossible,” Sensai muttered in disbelief.
Mordecai and Rigby’s jaws dropped while The Old Master staggered backward, his eyes wide in absolute shock.
“N-No... That’s impossible,” the Old Master whispered, his hands trembling.
“What is happening?” Nejire whispered.
“I have no clue… Something that seems to be a running cliché in my sorties…” Izuku admitted.
“You... You are truly... He…” The Grand Master fell to his knees, staring at Izuku with pure reverence.
“Uh... What?” Izuku blinked in confusion.
“Only one who has reached Food Enlightenment, the pinnacle of culinary existence, could erase the Death Sandwich with a mere touch! No food, no matter how powerful, would ever dare harm a God of Cooking!” The Grand Master declared, and his voice trembled with awe.
“Not this again…” Nejire muttered with a groan.
“Here we go…” Izuku added.
“Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean ‘God of Cooking’? What’s this stuff now?” Mordecai asked while looking between Izuku and the Grand Master.
“A long story. And an even bigger headache.”
“I know about that, it was written in the Great Book of Prophecies of Death! But I never believed it to be real!” Sensai said.
“What book now?!” Rigby asked.
The Grand Master’s hands were shaking as he gestured wildly towards Izuku.
“The boy is a walking legend! A master beyond masters! A being so in tune with the very essence of cuisine that all food, no matter how deadly, must bow before him! Even the Death Sandwich has accepted him as its superior and Master!” The old guy said.
“You’re telling me... This dude just negated a supernatural kill-sandwich... Just by existing?” Rigby stared.
“We should have took Skips along, he is good at this sort of things…” Mordecai answered.
“I swear, I didn’t do anything.” Izuku sighed, looking extremely tired of just about everything.
“Please, Great One! Teach me your ways! I have spent a lifetime honing my culinary skills, but you! You have transcended food itself!” The Grand Master asked, and prostrated himself fully and he pressed his forehead to the ground.
“Nooo. No. Not happening. I am not training some murderous creepy sandwich wizard that throws around killing sandwiches!” Izuku answered and took a step back.
“Okay, but, like... Can you actually make sandwiches?” Mordecai asked with his arms crossed.
“Of course I can make sandwiches! That’s basic! What kind of chef would I be if I couldn’t?” Izuku answered, almost offended.
“I am still dying…” Benson, still on the ground, gave a drawn-out groan of agony that caught everybody’s attention.
“RIGHT! BENSON! Okay, God of Cooking, prove it and save him!” Rigby yelled.
“Dying?! Okay, make room! But just so you know, there’s nothing special about what I do!” Izuku answered while rolling up his sleeves and summoning Ingredients from his Restaurant pocket dimension storage.
“To witness the God of Cooking in action... I am not worthy!” The Grand Master yelled in awe.
“Leave simping for later!” Nejire answered, and hurrying at Izuku’s side to help him.
As Izuku calmly started hurriedly assembling the sandwich to save Benson, Mordecai, Rigby, Sensai and the Grand Master watched in awed silence.
“It’s ready! Improved Sandwich of Life is ready!” The moment Izuku placed the final slice of bread on top, the entire room glowed.
“NO WAY!” Mordecai and Rigby yelled with shining eyes.
The sandwich radiated warmth, its scent so perfect that time itself seemed to pause, the birds outside chirped in harmony and somewhere in the distance, an angelic choir began to sing.
“Wow… The sandwich glows…” Even just the radiance of the sandwich seemed to heal Benson, with his round head recovering some healthy coloration.
“Awe later, eat it, my friend!” Sensai answered, and helped Benson bite into the heavenly sandwich.
“It’s so fragrant…” Benson muttered weakly while hesitantly taking a bite, but the moment the flavor hit his tongue, his pupils dilated, and his eyes rolled back.
“… Guys.” His voice was barely a whisper but gradually growing in power.
“I can taste colors!” At those words divine golden light exploded upward like a pillar from Benson’s eyes and mouth to pierce the sky.
“Is this normal?” Nejire asked with a whisper.
“Nothing is ever normal when we do this, Nejire… Just give-up like I did…” Izuku answered, sighing.
“This... This is the work of a divine being... I am unworthy!” The Grand Master wept openly.
“I really need to stop walking into these situations…” Izuku face-palmed and groaned into his hands.
“It’s okay, Darling. I am here.” Nejire answered while rubbing his back.
The Grand Master was still kneeling, muttering praises about Food Enlightenment, divine culinary auras, and how Izuku was the ultimate being to ever wield a kitchen knife.
“So… Benson is now okay. Should we… leave him like that?” Mordecai asked.
“I don’t know. Sure is a bit anticlimactic, but I do have some questions of our saviour here…” Sensai answered.
Izuku, rubbed his temples.
“Okay. You know what? Fine. If making a sandwich won’t shut you up, let’s try something else.” He then said, with a deep sigh.
“You mean... You will demonstrate your true power?!” The Grand Master asked with a gasp of wonder.
“Not like Icchan has a choice on the matter…” Nejire answered.
“Dude, I feel like this is gonna get crazy,” Mordecai muttered, he and Rigby exchanged glances with the others.
“I’m already in. Let’s see what the ‘God of Cooking’ can really do.” Rigby added, smirking.
“I am looking for a secret recipe, one that by name alone I think you people know, some kid of wings of death.” Izuku said, crossing his arms.
“Wings of death? More deadly stuff?” Mordecai asked in dread, while Sensai gasped like somebody about to faint.
“If I make these perfectly, will you stop bothering me? But in exchange, I want to keep the recipe,” Izuku asked.
“If you can make what I think you’re about to make, I will consider myself truly humbled! And will do everything in my power to fulfil your every request!” The Grand Master answered and nodded furiously.
“I can’t believe it! He’s really making the CHICKEN WINGS OF ULTRA DEATH!” Sensai squealed in awe and fear at the same time.
“Wait. What?” Mordecai’s face turned pale.
“Did he just say the Chicken Wings of Ultra Death?” Rigby’s ears twitched.
“T-That’s impossible! No one has ever successfully made them!” The Grand Master gasped, clutching his heart.
“Yes, those wings with the edgelord name… Alright then. Let’s start.” Izuku answered and took a deep breath and stepped behind the kitchen counter that the Grand Master summoned for him from the clouds, with his hands moving with surgical precision.
The entire room went silent.
“Dude! The name sound sick!” Mordecai said, excited.
“Those are LEGENDARY! No chef has ever made them because if the spice balance is even a fraction off, the person eating them dies instantly!” Sensai explained in wonder.
“That’s normal for this stuff, dude, but why Ultra-” Rigby started saying.
“And then everybody around the eater dies too, in a sixty kilometre radius.” Sensai added.
“… Okay, yeah, that sounds like Ultra Death.” Rigby admitted.
“But if they’re perfect, the eater reaches Nirvana, total communion with the universe, for just a single instant.” Sensai finished saying, with shining eyes.
“OOOH! I wanna try them!” Rigby and Mordecai said in unison.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I am making enough for everybody.” Izuku didn’t even pause his marinating the wings to answer.
It was insanity to try making them, maybe, but Izuku needed those wings recipe for his Mission, and he really, really wanted to shut up the Grand Master.
“You okay?” Nejire asked, curious.
“Yes, I am just…Disappointed? Maybe? I don’t know if it is the right term. This is not the hardest dish I made in my lives. The name must be just 90% hype… This recipe is fairly easy,” Izuku answered, shrugging, while tall flames erupted from the pan where he was searing the wings, as he talked his hands just kept moving with masterful ease.
“Our most sacred and cursed recipe! And he makes it look so easy! He truly is Enlightened!” The Grand Master said in awe.
Izuku just ignored him and mixed the sauce, by the parchment he was reading from, ‘The Sauce of Death!’ sauce, that was a “legendary” blend of spices so potent that a single whiff could knock out a rampaging elephant, allegedly.
“The sauce is actually like molten gold! He is really doing it!” The Grand Master nearly fainted just from the aroma of the sauce.
“Impossible...” Sensai whispered.
“I can see why the boy hates this kind of attention…” Benson muttered while rubbing his temples.
“I’ve never wanted to die for food before, but this might be worth it.” Rigby admitted while staring at the sizzling wings.
“I don’t kill my customers and Guests, thank you.” Izuku answered, and plated the wings for everybody.
The wings all were perfectly golden, glistening with the forbidden sauce; they radiated heat, not just physical heat, but a cosmic, spiritual heat, as if the wings themselves understood the meaning of existence.
“They do look nice. But I prefer those Krat Style wings you make.” Nejire admitted.
“Me too. Please, guys eat and tell me what you think.” Izuku gently pushed the plate toward the Grand Master.
“You would bestow this honor upon me...?” The old man asked, humbled.
“Just. Eat. Them. Please.” Izuku answered and pinched the bridge of his nose.
The Grand Master nodded, tears streaming down his face, and picked up a wing and took a bite.
At that moment...
The heavens split open.
The very fabric of reality trembled, Planets aligned, celestial bodies shifted, and for a single, infinite instant, the Grand Master saw everything.
“That’s some strong spices…” Benson muttered, eyeing his plate of wings warily.
In the meantime the Grand Master understood the meaning of life! He saw the past, present, and future as one, He felt the universe breathe and He was everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Then he came back to reality, shaking, barely holding onto consciousness; his eyes were wide and his pupils tiny.
“That was...” He struggled to find words.
“That was perfection.”
“So... You gonna shut up now?” Nejire leaned on the counter and asked.
“I will never speak again.” The Old Master nodded weakly, still dazed.
The others too had eaten the wings in the meantime, and had a similar mystic experience.
“I’ll need to fix that. Cosmic Epiphany is not exactly what people go to a Restaurant for…” Izuku thought, unsure.
“Okay, yeah. I take back everything. You are the God of Cooking or whatever, dude.” Mordecai admitted, while Rigby sat there in stunned silence.
“Not this again…” Izuku groaned in annoyance.
“Oh Honored one! You truly humbled me…” The Grand Master said, kneeling.
“What happened to that never talking again?” Benson asked, groaning.
“SILENCE, INFERIOR BEING!” The Grand Master snapped.
“HEY!”
“Oh, Enlightened One… Please remain here with us, our Dojo has waited for your arrival since the dawn of time!” The old man begged.
“I am really sorry, but I can’t,” Izuku answered.
“Please, Honored One! My grand-daughter received a Prophecy from the Seer of Death that she would have married-”
He didn’t get to finish speaking that Izuku grabbed Nejire and started running.
“PLEASE COME BACK!” The Grand Master yelled while chasing him.
“Yes, please! At least take me as your student!” Sensai begged, chasing the two as well.
“I was prophetized that I would have married the Enlightened one! Please don’t escape our fated love!” The Grand Master’s Granddaughter (Of Death!) yelled, surfacing from a side door to chase Izuku.
“That guy saved my life! Rigby, Mordecai! HELP THEM ESCAPE OR YOU ARE FIRED!” Benson yelled.
The long conga line of chased and chasers could be seen run down the mountain at insane speed.
“GODDAMNIT, SYSTEM!” Nejire and Izuku yelled at the same time.
The portal home opened silently for them to take them back.
…
…
…
Meanwhile – Elsewhere
The System looked through the Window…
Their target was finally in sight.
“Found You.”
End of the chapter.